0 to 2 in 287 Days...and Living to Blog About It!!!

Happy Halloween!

Here are a few photos of our monkey from Halloween.  We had a great evening with some close friends.  Gavin kept the outfit on longer than I thought he would and was snug as a bug on a very cold evening.

 

 

 

 

 

Please God...

How many times did we pray, "Please God, help us find the little one we are meant to raise."?  Boy, did God ever deliver!  I truly believe God knew that through all of our heartache something amazing was going to happen.  When I hear Gavin's little voice talking in the morning, I automatically smile and remember that I am a mommy now and I need to go to him.  He is such an amazing blessing that truly is from God's arms, to Jamie's arms, to ours.

Our son was baptized on Sunday, October 11, 2009.  It was such a special day.  All I could think as I was standing there was my SON is getting baptized.  I am a mom to this little precious being.  God chose us!  The miracle of adoption made this day possible.  Praise the Lord!!!  

I came across this poem and thought it was perfect to share.

Please God...

Grant this little child Your love
As each new day appears,
Grant the parents guidance
And wisdom though out the years -
Smile down upon this baptism
And in Your loving way
Let Your presence gently bless
This little one today.

Here we are with Father Bob after the Baptism.

Gavin's Godparents, Maggie and Drew with their kiddos Camryn and Eliza.

Gavin with his buddy Harper and Harper's mommy and daddy, Brian and Gindy:).

Gavin with his Grandma and Grandpa J and Uncles Grady and Ben.

Gavin with his Grandma and Grandpa H.

Gavin with his Great Aunt Mary Carol and Uncle John.  Mary Carol and John are Dustin's Godparents.

Our family!

So this is how forever feels...

Sorry I haven't posted in a few weeks but I have to tell you we have been busy bees.  We were fortunate to go to court for Gavin's finalization on Thursday, July 30, 2009.  Gavin is now officially a part of our forever family.  And, we can't even begin to describe how awesome it feels.  He is such an amazing blessing in our lives and we are beyond grateful to have everything be official!  Here are some fun pictures from the day.

Our friends, Jo, Mike, Lora, and Brad hosted a party for us that evening.  Many of our friends and family headed over to join us in celebrating Gavin's finalization.  They gave us a picture frame that was engraved with our court date and said, "The end of a journey, beginning of a lifetime!"  I guess that sums up completely how we feel about the entire experience.

 

Thank you to all who traveled to spend the evening with us.  We were so touched to have so many people we loved celebrating this special event with us.

Finally, on Friday we went to our agency to visit with all of the ladies that helped make our adoption possible.  These ladies literally held our hands, cried with us, laughed with us, and helped us navigate our way to Gavin on this journey.  We will be forever grateful to all of them.

As a new school year begins, please keep our birth mom in your prayers.  She is getting ready to start her senior year and we are hoping it is a great year for her! 

Now, stay tuned for our next post.  We hosted a Finalization Celebration for Gavin on Saturday, August 8th.  Our friends and family helped us shower Women's Care Center and the Diaper Bank of Michiana with presents in Gavin's honor.  I can't wait to share pictures from this amazing evening.

Fourth of July~ Weekend

Here are lots of photos from the weekend!  We were some busy bees:)  Gavin had three different fourth of July outfits, so we needed to make sure he had an opportunity to wear each of them, LOL!

4th of July, outfit #1.

 On Friday, we went to a nice lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Riverfront Cafe.  Then, we went to the pool and hung out for a bit as a family.  Perfect day!!!

4th of July, outfit #2.

On Saturday, we went over to Gindy, Brian, and Harper's for a cookout.  Yummy food, good friends, good times!!!

4th of July, outfit #3.

On Sunday, we took a trip up to the Round Barn for their annual Red, White, and Blues festival.  It was a perfect day.  77 degrees, with a light breeze, and lots of sun!!!  Thanks to Brian, Gin, Harper, Tanya, and Mike for joining us and making the day extra special.

Baby Shower- June 13th!!!

I don't know if I have told you this yet but 13 is our new lucky number.  We got the call on March 13th that we had been matched with Gavin's birth mom.  She was due on April 13th (although he decided to hang out until April 22)...and Gindy and Maggie hosted a beautiful baby shower in Gavin's honor on June 13th.  That's it, the next time I need a lucky number playing Keno it will definitely be 13, LOL!!!

Here are some pictures from the event.  I only took a few, so when I get more from Maggie, I will post them. 

Thank you ladies for such a lovely day.  Everything from the party favors, to the food, to the decorations were perfect in every way.  Also, thank you to all of the lovely ladies that took time out of your Saturday for this special event.  We are grateful each and every one of you!

One of my next big things to do are thank yous.  I plan on sending out one big envelope to people.  The envelope will have thank yous, birth announcements, and an invitation for our big Welcome Gavin home party.  So, hopefully I will get this all accomplished in the near future:)

Baby Shower- May 30th!!!

Here are some pictures from our baby shower on May 30th.  I know that I am behind and am so sorry, LOL!!!  I can't keep up.  I want to send a big shout out to all of my girls that gave us a most memorable evening.  Grateful can't even begin to describe how I feel about you ladies.  The shower was perfect from A-Z!!!  Here are some photos from the evening...

Baby Shower- School

***Please feel free to scroll down on the blog.  I added multiple posts tonight and still have more to share but am out of energy:)

The ladies organized a beautiful shower for me at school.  It was extra special because Gavin's great grandma was in town for the occasion!!!  Here are some pictures from the party.

This is my favorite picture!!!  Jenni just had a little one in March and we thought it would be fun to have their picture taken together.  As soon as we stood next to one another, Gavin reached up and grabbed Baby Mo's hand!  So cute...I think we could have a little romance blooming.  LOL!!!

Baby Shower- Students

My little kindergarten friends had a baby shower for us last week.  They were very excited to see Gavin again and to eat some yummy treats.  I had to giggle because the kids all wanted to "help" me open the presents and were truly excited to see what was inside each package.  Precious is all I can say.  Also, every student decorated a frame with "Gavin" illustrations.  It is beautiful and will make a great addition to his nursery.  Here are a few pics from this shower.

Baby Shower Fun- Memorial Day Weekend

A few of my girlfriends surprised us with a baby shower/open house while we were home over Memorial Day weekend.  It was such a wonderful time.  I had the chance to get caught up with the girls and enjoyed having everybody meet Gavin.

Here are a few pictures from the day.

Thanks for a great day ladies!

Weekend Fun

Here are a few photos from the weekend.  On Friday, we bought Gavin an activity gym to go along with his tummy time mat.  I am truly amazed at all of the cool "stuff" that has been designed for babies as little as Gavin.  However, he already loves spending time "playing" with these two things, so they must know what they are doing!

Tanya, Gindy, and Harper came over Friday afternoon to hang out for a bit.  And...Daddy surprised us by coming home from work a little early.  So, we all just chilled together!

Best buddies!!!  I think these two might give us all a run for our money one day...LOL!!!

Gavin snuggling with his puppies!

Angel of mine!!!